Most any Muslim child who has been taught even a small bit of Islamic history has heard of Bilal ibn Rabah, a Black man who was born into slavery who became one of the most trusted and loyal sahabah (companions) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). He was the first muezzin, chosen by the Prophet to give the call to prayer. A new movie, “Bilal: A New Breed of Hero,” tells a fictionalized version of Bilal’s story, which has Muslim audiences… Read more

The memories came flooding back – ones that had never really left me in the first place. That morning I hailed a taxi, even though we really couldn’t afford the upwards of $20 to make the trip downtown, packed a lunch for D (How would he eat? Would he eat? He didn’t know how to feed himself properly. Feeding is such a problem. Would they warm his food up properly?), put a few school supplies in his backpack that we… Read more

Perhaps more than other years, but 2017 to me — as the managing editor of Patheos Muslim where we cover news, issues, trends and stories pertaining to American Muslim (and global Muslim) communities – was the year where I couldn’t keep up. The year when I would wrap up work and home stuff, go to bed and in the morning, check my phone to see a flurry of news alerts of something happening via the Trump administration, or some breaking… Read more

I remembered that particular feeling and fear twice. I remembered thinking – this is a real thing. We need to be careful. The first time was years ago at our local grocery store soon after we had moved from New York City to Virginia. My brother and his family were visiting us in our new home, and I took the kids with me to the grocery store to pick up stuff to make chocolate chip cookies. I had D, who… Read more

When you have a child with autism or any sort of disability, you have to consider forms of guardianship and conservatorship as they approach their 18th birthday. Old news to those of us living with or supporting and loving an autistic child or loved one. Many of my friends, whose children and D have traveled this path together for years, are approaching this big moment or are past it. Others are years away from it. And so, you do your… Read more

I hadn’t thought about it until today, but now I remember it like it was yesterday. Fourth grade — my birthday in the mid-1980s. I had invited a bunch of girls from my class over for a birthday party, including the young lady who was the reigning “it girl” in our grade during our elementary school years. I, and my best friend S, were one of the only persons of color in our lily-white small, Midwestern school in North Dakota…. Read more

If you voice out loud the silent and secret yearnings of your heart, if you allow yourself to linger over the “what-ifs,” the “should-have-beens” and the alternate futures that never were yours or your child’s to begin with, then you’re in danger of upsetting some one or another. You’re possibly doing a disservice to the loved one about whom you are thinking. This much I’ve learned – to keep it quiet, to internalize it as much as possible, to put… Read more

What time? What time was I exactly born, Mamma? It was around 4:30 in the afternoon. I remember because it was Ramadan, and everyone was fasting in our home. Except for me, of course. So, I went to the hospital, and you were born. Your Nana and Nani came to see you, and then Baba took them all to his office to break fast at sunset while I recovered. Thankfully the office was close to the hospital, so they weren’t… Read more

Women in Saudi Arabia have been granted the right to drive. Let’s repeat that – women in Saudi Arabia have been granted the right to drive. King Salman issued a royal decree today, saying that drivers licenses should be issued to women who want them, thereby granting a major victory to women in the Kingdom and around the world who have been protesting and working for years to overturn this hallmark of Saudi gender-based laws. Saudi Arabia was the only… Read more

Please indulge me in a walk down memory lane – “Broke into the old apartment. This is where we used to live.” – Barenaked Ladies The gates were locked as we strolled up to the park. Not just locked, but there was yellow police-tape stretched across it, across other parts of the fence and trailing on the dingy sidewalk in front. I wasn’t too surprised, though. Back in the day when we frequented this small park, you never knew if it… Read more